Addressing a press conference at his palace on Thursday 12 July, Mr. Karzai vowed to spend transparently the $16 billion aid pledged by the international community at the recently held Tokyo conference. That means the President is thinking of doing more against corruption that has greatly hampered Afghanistan's development and reconstruction process.

Nonetheless, no one would be able hold Mr. Karzai responsible for his current promise to the nation. That is because almost all the international funds committed to Afghanistan in the Tokyo and Chicago conferences are for the transition period 2014 to 2025 and Karzai's term is going to end by mid 2014 or even before that as there are possibilities of an earlier presidential election.

Also, in the last ten years the Karzai administration has repeatedly vowed to take serious actions against the rampant corruption but has failed to clean the Presidential Palace alone. That is greatly widened the trust gap between people and the government and Afghanistan's image has been negatively impacted at international level.

Mr. Karzai should now abandon thinking about what his government can do to counter corruption in the little time left for his government. The coming one and half year or so remaining to the end of Karzai would fall insufficient to root out corruption that has grown intensively in the last ten years. Karzai government would remain 'as is' until its tenure ends.

However, towards the end of his chapter of government, if the Hamid Karzai is interested in doing something good for the nation, he should provide accountability for billions of aids poured in Afghanistan in the last decade and prove that he has been a sincere President who came to power as result of true votes of people and kept Afghanistan's national interests above everything.

Corruption has become so deep rooted in Afghanistan that it would take any future government years to tackle it. Karzai government is solely held responsible for putting Afghanistan in the list of most corrupt countries of the world.

Although Afghanistan has consistently been receiving international funds, its people continue to suffer due to vicious circle of poverty, low job opportunities, destructed infrastructures, lack of justice and above all the prevailing security condition. With such a condition, Mr. Karzai will not be able to trick the people by his empty promises and statements.